A Girl Named Wolf rewrite
by wolfperson1
Summary: Yes, I rewrote it. Can't guarentee it's better, but... I'm going to change the title as soon as I can think of one, but I can't so you'll have to wait. :P Remeber to read and review. Probably overrated this, but I want to be safe.
1. Bullet With Butterfly Wings

_Disclaimer: All Characters appearing in the Harry Potter books are not mine.There will be more disclaimers for characters added in later, but this is the only one for HP characters.   
  
A/N: Yes, this is a rewrite. It was horrible before. I think it's a bit better now. What do you think?_   
  


**Bullet With Butterfly Wings**

  
  
Rain fell in tiny droplets, pounding the streets of London. Drop after drop after drop after drop. Like war drums, never ceasing, never failing, never faltering. Monotonous rhythms weaved on and on, lulling old and young into blissful sleeps and pleasant dream worlds. Green meadows, candy trees, love, happiness, perfection. But wait, what was that? Thunder. Lightning. Nightmares. Pierced the night like the sun.   
  
Running. Always running. Long coated figures dashed to and fro. Their feet were in time with the rain, their hearts, the thunder. Few had hats. Others carried umbrellas. All were drenched, chilled to the bone by an icy wind that whipped through the streets. And to think some had gone out for nothing more than a carton of milk.   
  
A young couple walked swiftly in the downpour, always seeming to stay just within the shadows. Their coats were longer than most. They dragged along the ground and soaked up puddles as the pair passed. They wore large hoods that hid their faces completely, but these did little. Water seeped through the saturated hoods, mixing with the nervous sweat that dripped almost as steadily.   
  
"Only a few more streets?" The shorter one spoke, the voice undoubtedly female.   
  
The taller nodded as they rounded another corner, one glancing behind them at regular intervals. They shuffled toward the downtown area, turning another corner. There was some fool standing out on that corner, just waiting in the rain for something, or someone. They ignored him, going strait to a pub that was a few buildings down.   
  
The pub was small, barely visible if you didn't know it was there. Its shabby, run-down appearance was nothing, though. The food was good and the door out back was well hidden, making this a popular entrance. The young couple stepped in, removing their hoods at once. The taller was male. With light, messy hair and brown eyes, he looked around the room. He was of an average build, though maybe a bit heavy around the middle, and his skin was light. Not as light as the man his eyes settled upon. The other man's dark eyes made him seem even paler than was natural, so pale, that he almost glowed.   
  
Penny gasped, sitting strait up in her bed. Beads of sweat dripped down her face. Something was wrong. She could feel it. She shouldn't wake in the middle of the night because of him. She saw him all the time. It was part of her job. Fear shouldn't even be an option, at least not until he found out, anyways. _What if he finds out? We won't be able to run soon_. She put a hand to her stomach and lay down. Her other hand slipped beneath her pillow, grasping the wand beneath it tightly. She closed her eyes.   
  
"Something wrong?" the man turned over, placing an arm around his dark-haired wife. She relaxed a little.   
  
"Just a nightmare," she reassured him, "Nothing to worry about. Nightmares never hurt anyone." She breathed a bit deeper, trying to drift into sleep.   
  
"Good, now go back to sleep. You'll feel better."   
  
"Jeff?"   
  
"Mm?"   
  
"What if he-"   
  
"He won- What was that?" Jeff stood up, reaching for his wand. Penny pretended to be asleep, still clutching her wand. Her knuckles looked like paper. The door burst open. Hooded shapes filled the room.   
  
"So nice of you to welcome us, traitor," an icy voice spoke. It high-pitched and merciless, the kind that sends shivers down the bravest person's back. "And I would put your wand down. It will only make matters worse."   
  
Knowing this to be the truth, Jeff obeyed. "Just don't kill her."   
  
"What can you do about it if you're dead? Avada ked-"   
  
"CRUCIO!" Penny's voice rung out, loud and clear. The source of the voice lay twitching before them. Dead eaters closed in, like a swarm of angry bees.   
  
Jeff opened his eyes suddenly. They were safe. Still safe in a room beneath the Leaky Cauldron. It was still raining, still pouring down like there was no tomorrow. The soaked cloaks hung on the wall. Small puddles formed beneath them. Neither had bothered to clean it up.   
  
Penny sat in a chair next to the room's fireplace. She was sipping some tea and staring at the fire.   
  
"I thought he was Voldemort II," she said, noticing Jeff was awake.   
  
"So did I. He looks so sickly now, all worn out."   
  
"Remember when he came to the school to visit Harry?"   
  
"When was that?" Jeff said. He couldn't quite remember.   
  
"Right after Harry defeated the original Voldemort."   
  
"Oh yeah. We were in third year."   
  
"Seems so long ago now, but I still have some of those pranks products he brought."   
  
"Yeah. No one expected the new Voldemort to make the switch."   
  
"Didn't seem in his character."   
  
"Well, after being ditched by Hermione and seeing what power can do, he just lost it."   
  
"And no one was the same when the doctors said they couldn't heal Harry," Penny shook her head.   
  
"It's a sha-"   
  
"Did you feel that?" Penny looked around as if worried. Instinctively, she put a hand to her stomach and grabbed her wand.   
  
"Feel what?"   
  
"It was like a small shaking."   
  
"I'm sure it was nothing."   
  
There was a knock on the door. Penny jumped.   
  
"Are you ok?" the blonde woman before them asked.   
  
"Yeah." Penny put a hand to her head and took another sip of water. "Just tired. I haven't been able to sleep."   
  
The woman nodded. "I know the feeling. When He went crazy, I couldn't sleep for weeks. I was so scared. I thought he would come and take me while I slept."   
  
"It's a good thing he didn't, Hermione," Jeff took a cookie off the table, "Not sure what we'd do without you."   
  
"It's nothing. Really, it's the least I can do. Not many are brave enough to spy as closely as you two did.   
  
"There is no bravery involved, only necessity," Penny said softly, as she took a cookie too.   
  
"She was a Gryffindor, Pen. They think in terms of bravery."   
  
Hermione shook her head, laughing softly, "Well, I guess we're all a product of our houses… in most cases anyways."   
  
Penny nodded. "Do you have any idea what they are planning for us?"   
  
"No, but Dumbledore is working on it, so there's no need to worry. Actually, I think he has Harry on it too."   
  
"We're in good hands." Jeff nodded as he spoke.   
  
"How is Harry, by the way?"   
  
"He's doing well. He still can't walk more than a meter without extreme pain, though."   
  
"And still no cure can be found?"   
  
Hermione shook her head sadly, "I sometimes think he doesn't want to be healed. He grows weary of everything. They still praise him for defeating Voldemort, while he waves them off, the second darkness that is rising on his mind. It is sad to see him almost wasting away. I am weary too. I may step down soon. We are not as young as we used to be." Hermione laughed halfheartedly. Barely thirty-one and she was feeling old, Harry too. What would they feel like if they ever reached Dumbledore's age? The old wizard must be at least a hundred fifty now, and he was still as lively as ever.   
  
"But who could replace you as the head of the Ministry, especially in this time?"   
  
"I don't know. I've heard Wood is thinking about running."   
  
"The Quiditch player?" Penny sounded incredulous.   
  
"Exactly. He is surprisingly qualified, actually. People like him too."   
  
"If you insist. I somehow can't see it working."   
  
"He's better than Malfoy. That one has managed to fool the public."   
  
"I remember him," Jeff commented. "Reminded me of a bleached Snape, the slimeball."   
  
Penny shook her head. "You ruined it with the last part. You'd think with all those books we've gone through you could have come up with something better."   
  
Fully expecting Penny to scold him for saying something at all and not for coming up with a juvenile insult, Hermione was caught off guard. She quickly stifled a laugh.   
  
"How about wool-head? Git? Moron? Sped? Idiot? Ignoramus."   
  
"The last one at least sounds intelligent."   
  
"Thought so too." There was a knock at the door.   
  
Jeff opened his eyes quickly. He had fallen asleep reading about dragon breeding. He was better with numbers. Jeff would have to handle the business aspect.   
  
Getting up, Jeff walked to the door and opened it.   
  
"Tired?" Penny asked. She stepped into the room and wiped her feet on the carpet at the door.   
  
"A little. Dragons have lost my interest. Being in the Magical World so long does that to you."   
  
"Hasn't happened to me yet. I remember when my dad became an ambassador."   
  
"I remember that. You were the little American girl who came in and forced everyone to try to beat you in English."   
  
"Right before we went to Hogwarts, but that's not the point. My parents had gotten me a book when we came to London. I remember reading it and wishing dragons were real so I could see them. Now I can."   
  
"I had almost forgotten you were muggle-born. Weird coincidence."   
  
"Or maybe fate."   
  
"I don't like fate. Not control."   
  
"There's some. The path to get there is yours to choose."   
  
"Maybe, but I don't believe in it."   
  
Penny shrugged. "Suit yourself." She paused. "When do we leave for home?"   
  
"Home?"   
  
"Sorry. Meant America. Forgot myself."   
  
"Within an hour, I'd say."   
  
"Good. I can't wait to go home. I want to see them do the barrier."   
  
"That will be interesting. I heard they have that telepath helping."   
  
"That should coordinate things more easily. She's remarkable good for a student"   
  
Jeff nodded. "Can you imagine it? A hundred of the most powerful witches and wizards, some the most powerful in the world… All to protect u-"   
  
"Woah."   
  
"What is it? The baby kicking?"   
  
"Felt like more than that," Penny put a hand to her head. That was no baby kicking. It felt like raw power, pulsating through her body and into the baby. As the realization came to her, her stomach wrenched._ Merlin, what was that? What if she's hurt? Dead? What can that type of power do to an infant? What could even cause that?_ As she thought, everything went black.   
  
Black as night and cold as ice, the cave they sat in was definitely an unwelcoming place. You could barely tell the difference between opened eyes and closed ones, as Penny remembered when she opened her eyes.   
  
Jeff nodded in response to her words as he said, "Yeah, but we won't be in here long. They're just making sure everything is secure before we go out to watch."   
  
"I'm sure it will be fine. Look who's running it."   
  
"Good point. What could go wrong with Harry and Dumbledore around?   
  
"Probably nothing."   
  
"Another reason that she's going to Hogwarts."   
  
"Already decided?"   
  
"Of course. We both went there so why not?" Jeff leaned back against the wall.   
  
"I was thinking the same thing, actually."   
  
"Unless she's a…"   
  
Penny interrupted him. "Trust me she's not a…"   
  
"You ready?" A voice came from the entrance of the cave. A girl stepped in. She looked about sixteen, with a pretty face and blonde hair that was streaked with pink. She was a couple of inches taller than Penny, but you couldn't tell because of the way the girl stood."   
  
Jeff nodded as he stood up, helping Penny as he did so. "Yes."   
  
"Ready as ever,"   
  
"Good." The girl led them out of the dark cave. It was a relatively warm day, around 75° F (about 27° C), bright and sunny. Or so the girl said, you couldn't really tell. The trees were so dense in this part of the woods. Tight-packed with lush green leaves, with conifers sprouting everywhere between the other trees. The woods seemed very dark that day, but the trail was wide, probably for larger dragons. They walked along, and soon passed a small swampy area. The small, snake-like dragons would like that.   
  
In actuality, they were not really in Massachusetts, where the farm was "located." The truth was that only the house was in MA, while the rest was somewhere in New Hampshire. It was a weird set-up, but it allowed for a safety zone. You could almost guarantee that it was possible find a way out because it was difficult to surround the place. That had all been set up before. All that was left was the final protection spell.   
  
They passed through the line where place melted into place with little more than a shivers, and soon found themselves in the center. Dumbledore stood there, his robes blowing slightly in the wind, his smile twinkling as ever.   
  
"Very good. You were quick," he smiled, "We're ready." You could hear his thick accent as he spoke, especially since Penny, still retaining her Bostonian accent after many years, spoke next. Jeff's accent was dulled, and the girl appeared to have none.   
  
"Glad to get this over."   
  
Jeff agreed silently. "It will be nice to feel safe again."   
  
"I'm sure it will. Are you ready, Kate?"   
  
The ten nodded. "Been ready for hours." She closed her eyes, concentrating on the minds of the witches and wizards around her. It was going to tire her out, but she was the best choice for the job, if only because of her enthusiasm.   
  
"Go!" Dumbledore's voice rang out like a bell and the sky lit up like…   
  
… Fire lit the room with an orangey glow. It was dying down now, as the sun began to think about rising. There was still time. It didn't have to come up until around 8:00, and it was just about 7:00. Everything was calm on the farm. Three months since they had moved in, and everything was settling already. Sales were up, death was down, and there was very little to trouble. Everything seemed safe at last.   
  
"Will the danger ever leave us?" Penny shivered as she sipped her coffee. It was cool. Not cold, but just cool enough to tap the bones.   
  
"What do you mean? We're safe here." Jeff looked at her over the section of the paper he was reading. She had the other parts sitting next to her on the table.   
  
"Are we, though? We're trapped here like rats in a flood. We drown no matter where we go."   
  
"Don't let it get you down. There's a way out."   
  
"Oh?"   
  
"She won't have to deal with this?"   
  
"Yes she will. She's being born into it. She's going to have to learn to defend herself. If he finds out, who do you think he'll go after? Not us. We can hide here for the rest of our lives. That's a luxury she doesn't have."   
  
Jeff sighed, "So we're going to strip her of her childhood?"   
  
Penny nodded sadly. "What choice do we have? Ignorance could kill h-"   
  
"Merlin. She loses either way."   
  
"I don't want to do this to her, but there is nothing else."   
  
"What if we send her to live with a muggle family?" He suggested, his eyes betraying that he disliked the idea. "We'll tell no one. She'd be safe then."   
  
"NO!"   
  
Jeff jumped at the strength of her refusal. "It was just an idea," he defended.   
  
"Sorry. We can't do that, though. Under different circumstances, I might actually consider it, even if I dislike it, but it will cause trouble."   
  
"Trouble?"   
  
"There is more to her than we know. I'm sure of it." She shuddered.   
  
"What are you keeping from me?"   
  
"You'll find out soon enough."   
  
"How about now?"   
  
"No, you can wait."   
  
"Are you sure?"   
  
"Positive."   
  
"Only fools are positive."   
  
"Maybe, but you're the one reciting lines from a children's movie."   
  
"I am?"   
  
"Yeah. Batty says that in Ferngulli."   
  
"And you remember it?"   
  
"Of course," she said, as if it were perfectly normal to remember some movie you watched when you were very little."   
  
Jeff shook his head, "Are you mad?"   
  
"I'm not… No. I haven't gone crazy. If I was crazy, wouldn't you be the first to know?"   
  
"Point taken…" He was going to say something else, but stopped at the look that painted Penny's face. "Are you ok."   
  
"Time," she whispered."   
  
"Time?" he just stared at her for a moment. "Oh! That time!"   
  
She nodded as she closed her eyes.   
  
"Penny? Penny? Penny, are you all right?"   
  
She looked up, shaking herself awake. "I'm fine. I was just thinking."   
  
"Good to know," the raven-haired man before her smiled through his round glasses. His green eyes were bright as emeralds, but even his smile was offset by the look of exhaustion that appeared all about him in his hovering chair. Jeff was sleeping in a chair in the corner, and her newborn daughter was yawning in the man's arms.   
  
"Did they just bring her in?"   
  
Harry nodded. "Yes. What is her name?"   
  
"Wolf."   
  
Harry laughed, "Isn't that a little cruel? Wolf Howl?"   
  
"Her name is just Wolf. She did not take on our last name."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"To protect her. It makes her conspicuous, yet hidden at the same time."   
  
"I think I understand, but you don't have to explain anymore, even if I don't." He took a deep breath and his eyes focused on the baby in his arms just as suddenly as his body shook slightly, but violently. He looked up at Penny, who looked concerned at this point. "I'm fine, but did you feel that? It was stranger than anything I've ever experienced. Pure power," he was almost whispering.   
  
She sighed in relief. "I have felt it, and I don't like it."   
  
"Keep this from her. Things like this fade over time, but it will not remain dormant forever."   
  
"That is what I fear, Harry."   
  
He looked at her for a moment. "Keep it secret. Keep her safe. Stranger things have happened, but stranger are to come."   
  
"You sound like your foreshadowing something. This is not some story. If you know something, tell me."   
  
"I don't know anything, but I may soon." 


	2. Too Bad

_A/N: And there's more... No disclaimer here. All characters are covered. I'm a few chapters ahead, so you shouldn't have to wait long. Just have to code the html for them._   
  
Red rays of the morning sun leaked into the room through the cracks in the shades, filtering through the uniform darkness that filled the room. A girl slept silently in that room. Her blankets were disarrayed about her bed. Soft snores filled the complete silence of the abyss. She did not move at all. In fact, the sun didn't have any affect on her as she slept, except maybe that it ran small goose bumps up and down her arms.   
  
The room wasn't very large, though it was not small. Coming through the door, the bed was in the back left corner. In front was a tall bureau with a television on top. Symmetrically placed on the back wall were two windows. Beneath them a long chest stood. There were many things placed on top of it. It appeared to be used only as a table. In the right corner there were some more toys, and along the wall was a small bookshelf. There was a room extension to the right of the bookshelf. It was a narrow room, and it was filled with toys and objects of all sorts. Next to the door to the hall, there was one more bureau. It had a small shelf on top, and there were a few night lamps placed here. The wallpaper was striped pink. It was obvious the girl didn't like this, though. The wallpaper next to her bed was all torn away.   
  
The girl stirred, opening her large, brown eyes. They were a deep dark brown, and seemed to take in everything they saw as they looked around. She yawned, the slightly tanned skin on her face stretching. She sat up, pushing off what was left of the covers. She stretched for a few second, slipping her bare feet into a pair of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle slippers. She wore a long t-shirt for pajamas, and appeared to be fine in that. Long brown hair, not exactly dark, but not overly light ran down her back, but it was pulled up. He hair annoyed her when it was down.   
  
She shook off the last bit of sleepiness and ran out the door and into the hall. She jumped down the stairs, taking them two at a time. This caused those few living pictured a bit of annoyance, but she ignored them and ran into the living room. Here, her father sat reading a copy of the newspaper. Pictures on the front waved to her, and she waved back.   
  
"Good morning, Wolf," he said as she passed the fireplace and moved into the kitchen. In the kitchen, her mother was standing at the counter, watching muggle news and drinking coffee.   
  
"I have a question," she announced to her mother, in the way that children did.   
  
"Ohh?" Her mother smiled, "What is it?"   
  
"Are you gonna teach me more today?" she had her mother's accent, not her father's. He was clearly British.   
  
"More what? About the dragons?"   
  
Wolf folded her arms across her chest, frowning slightly. "We did that yesterday. I want to learn the other stuff."   
  
"Are you sure?" Her mother frowned. Wolf seemed to be taking too great an interest in the Dark Arts.   
  
Wolf nodded eagerly.   
  
Her mother sighed, but said. "Ok, but you have to go get dressed quick."   
  
"Can I eat first?"   
  
"Of course, what do you want to eat?"   
  
"Pancakes."   
  
"How about Frosted Flakes?"   
  
"Ok." Wolf blinked.   
  
Penny blinked as she got Wolf the cereal. She set the bowl of dry, sugared flakes before her daughter as the girl ate. "Come and get me when you're finished getting dressed."   
  
"Ok." Wolf grabbed the remote (or clicker, depending on where you're from) and put on Voltron.   
  
Penny walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She sat down next to Jeff. "You're daughter has taken on a liking to the Dark Arts."   
  
He looked up from his paper, placed it down on the table, and put his arm around Penny. "She gets that from you. You were always better at me than it."   
  
"That's not the point. Should we be worried?"   
  
"She's not going to go over to him. Besides, her interest will help her in two weeks."   
  
"I still don't like that."   
  
"Me neither, but we made the decision almost seven years ago, now. She will do well."   
  
"That's what I'm worried about."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"Nevermind, Jeff. Nevermind," she sighed.   
  
"Ok." He didn't seem convinced.   
  
"What am I supposed to teach her, though? I said I would, but she learned all I knew months ago. She learns this faster than anything else."   
  
"You could finish necromancy. You've got two weeks."   
  
Penny closed her eyes, and Wolf ran past them. "I don't like necromancy, but since there's nothing else…"   
  
Wolf bounded up the stairs, arousing the pictures yet again. She ran into her room and shut the door. It was dark again. She could almost see the shapes moving around. Wolf hit the light switch, spilling lamp light into the room. She moved to her drawers and pulled out a t-shirt and some sweat pants. She quickly changed into them, and ran to the door. She stopped short, though, remembering that she had forgotten her robes. Wolf turned around, stepping over toys as she went to the drawer beneath her bed. She pulled out a pair of navy blue robes and threw them on like a coat. She also grabbed a baseball cap off the door and put it on.   
  
Wolf jumped down the stairs again and went into the living room. She faced her parents. "You ready?"   
  
Penny stood up. "Yes. Come on, we're going to work on some more necromancy."   
  
"Cool!"   
  
"Tie your robes, Wolf," Jeff called after them as they left the room.   
  
Wolf rolled her eyes at him as she followed her mother into the other room. She didn't like robes much. Too much like those dresses her mother tried to get her to wear. She hated those. There was no way she was going to make the robes seem any more like them. Wolf blinked.   
  
As she opened her eyes, she looked next to her. Sara had just got on the bus and sat in the seat across. Wolf moved over to the edge of the seat. They always got their own seats in the morning.   
  
"Hey."   
  
"Hi."   
  
"You bring some of your candy today?"   
  
"Yup. Did you?"   
  
Wolf nodded. "And I brought some of those beans I got from my Dad."   
  
"Awesome! I love those!"   
  
"Unless of course you get the bad ones."   
  
Sara made a face. "Those are gross."   
  
"Don't eat them, then."   
  
"How do you know?"   
  
Wolf shrugged. "I don't know. Guess?"   
  
"Uh-oh," Sara said as the bus stopped.   
  
Wolf looked at her friend as they both stood up and walked down the isle of the bus. "What?"   
  
"Kristen's out there."   
  
Wolf sighed. "She's going to try to steal my bag again to look at my books… Run for it?"   
  
Sara nodded. "Let's look away too."   
  
"Meet at the swing set?"   
  
"Yup." They dashed off the bus, but Wolf tripped.   
  
Pulling herself up, Wolf dove out of the way of another ball. She liked dodgeball. Sometimes, she wished she could play it all day instead of go to classes. She didn't like not being with her friends, but she already knew what they were learning, so being with them would put her to sleep.   
  
Wolf picked up a ball, and took that one step that brought her into No Man's Land. She aimed a ball at a boy halfway across the court. Miraculously, it hit. She knew why, but others would claim it was skill. The boy had been trying to hit Sara. Sara was cart-wheeling to tease the kids on the other team. Sara just liked gymnastics. It had been Wolf's idea to tease the others with it.   
  
As the boy left the court, Wolf bent down to pick up another ball. Luckily, a shot aimed at her missed because of it. She had no chance to retaliate, though, because the bell rang. Wolf grinned as she headed to the next class. She liked dodgeball. It was the best part of school, besides lunch, of course.   
  
Wolf yawned.   
  
She would have gone back to sleep, but a voice from downstairs called her. Wolf rolled out of bed, threw on some robes, and ran down the stairs.   
  
Penny watched as her daughter entered the kitchen. She kept on a warm smile, but it was to hide her pain at what was about to happen. She did not like the training, but it was necessary. Her poor daughter. _What am I about to do?_   
  
A man stood in the back of the kitchen. Six-foot-two, raven hair, searching blue eyes and tanned skin marked him as one of a kind, and one to be watched too. He wore dark green robes today with a black muggle baseball cap. Not many wizards wore those. He must be of muggle heritage, or at least interested in them. Not that heritage mattered, Wolf's mother was muggle born, and it did nothing to her ability to do magic. The hat was just something peculiar. _It's too bad. So young…_ the tall man thought.   
  
"Who's that?" Wolf asked. There had been a short awkward silence, and Wolf had wanted to interrupt it.   
  
"My name is Ted," he said, stepping forward.   
  
Wolf hadn't expected him to answer, but now there was no avoiding talking to him. She didn't like his voice. It seemed far away, almost. "I'm Wolf." She seemed a bit uncertain as to how to respond.   
  
"Wolf," her mother spoke up, "Ted is going to take over teaching you. They want you to go through Auror training." Wolf was silent. Penny took this for fear or shock. "You don't have to be afraid, Ted will make sure you do well. Do you understand…"   
  
"Sure."   
  
The response came as a shock to Penny. She had almost expected Wolf to say no. Wolf knew what happened to most that underwent Auror training. "You sure?"   
  
Wolf nodded. "I have a question."   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"When does it start?"   
  
"Now," Ted spoke up. "Come with me. We're using floo." Wolf just followed.   
  
Wolf coughed the soot out of her lungs. Floo powder was more trouble that it was worth sometimes.   
  
"Come on, Wolf, they'll be here any minute!"   
  
"What?"   
  
"Everyone else. You can't wear robes when they're around."   
  
"Ooopps," Wolf dashed up to her room. She yelled back on the way, "I'll be back Sara."   
  
Up in her room, Wolf performed a quick cleaning charm, one of the few simple spells she knew. Her parents had inadvertently left out simple spells from all the magic they taught her. First years at Hogwarts knew more in that respect than she did.   
  
Wolf threw on a pair of loose jeans and a black t-shirt. She ran back downstairs, and was stopped by her mother and father.   
  
"Good job on completing the first half of your training today," her father said.   
  
"Most take at least two years, Wolf. You've done it in one."   
  
Wolf smiled, "The dark magic helped. I knew that already."   
  
"Good. Now hurry. Your friends will be here."   
  
"Yup."   
  
She ran back into the kitchen. It looked like a normal muggle kitchen now, no pans washing themselves, or owls sitting at the table.   
  
Sara was already putting her gift down. No one else was there yet. "How'd you hide the dragons?" she asked.   
  
Wolf shrugged. "My mother did it. She hasn't taught me yet. I've been busy with that training."   
  
"Do you like your teacher?"   
  
"Mrs. Bullard? Not really."   
  
"Not her! For your training."   
  
"Oh! Didn't at first, but he's better now."   
  
"Can you wait for it to end?"   
  
"Nope. Then I don't have to go away all the time."   
  
"I'd be wicked tired."   
  
"I am." The doorbell rang.   
  
The sound buzzed in her ear. She had narrowly missed that curse. Wolf dodged another. She was grinning now. This was too much like dodgeball for it not to be fun. Close up was easier, though. You could fight hundreds when you were close, but at this distance, that same hundreds were deadly. She glanced at the group left. Five hours of this and she was only three quarters of the way done. It would be another two at least. She sighed as she dodged more curses. This was tedious. She was grinning, but that was more to taunt them now. She'd have to do it again, she knew. Seven hours was much too slow. Five would have been better. _If only I could finish it now,_ she thought, _Duh! I can!_   
  
She dodged curses and shot no more, concentrating fully on what she was muttering. The dodging would do itself, she found. She muttered steadily, and if it were louder, it could have almost been a song. Not two minutes later, the ground beneath her enemies exploded, tossing them everywhere.   
  
"You waited too long to do that," Ted appeared before her eyes, "Why not do that from the start?"   
  
"I couldn't have dodged the spells."   
  
"Or you hadn't thought of it?"   
  
"I had," it was only half a lie. She had thought of it and forgotten in the first hour. "You would have accused me of cheating."   
  
"Maybe, but we could have gone on to defending yourself against a necromancer quicker."   
  
"Why bother?"   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"You haven't figured it out? I love studying the Dark Arts."   
  
"That was obvious, considering you used some of it now, but you did necromancy too?"   
  
"Things in the ground have always worked well for me."   
  
"Probably because most people are buried."   
  
"Maybe."   
  
"Show me some of what you can do."   
  
Wolf lifted up her sleeves.   
  
"Are you ready?"   
  
"Hmmm?"   
  
"I said, are you ready? I shouldn't have to repeat myself, Wolf," Ted stood before her, in aqua robes, looking exactly as he did when she first met him two years before.   
  
"I know. Nervous."   
  
"It won't help you."   
  
"I know."   
  
"Don't worry about it, Wolf," Penny smiled.   
  
"You're going to do fine," Jeff agreed.   
  
"Ok," she didn't sound so certain.   
  
"Time to go," Ted spoke, taking Wolf's hand. "We'll be back before you know it."   
  
A bright light enveloped them.   
  
"I hope so…"   
  
Wolf opened her eyes when she felt her feet hit solid ground. She had closed them because her eyes - especially the left one for some strange reason - had hurt when she and Ted were engulfed in the white light. A feeling of weightlessness had overcome her when it happened, and she was free of her body's confinement, although only for a few moments. It was a wondrous feeling, and she would have loved to make the trip over and over again, but deep down, she felt that she would never experience the trip again.   
  
"What was that?" She asked Ted, still squinting because the glow had not faded from around them.   
  
"A special traveling spell," he replied as the room came into full view. Wolf looked around. They were in a dungeon. Well, sort of.   
  
The dungeon was decorated to give it a homey feel, probably to comfort her nerves, but this did more to increase them than anything else. A red fire, magical of course, lit the room. It cast eerie shadows everywhere.   
  
A woman sat in the large chair towards the back, she appeared to be reading a book. She was in her early forties, still pretty, though slightly plump unlike in her childhood years. She wore a red robe. Almost everything seemed to be red here. Her hair was long and dark, and her eyes matched it perfectly. The woman seemed kind, but there was something odd about her. Something similar to what was odd about Ted, but Wolf could never put her finger on it.   
  
"This is Cho Chang, Wolf. She will take care of you from here. I will see you later. Follow her directions, Wolf. It's important. Follow them, no matter what." The last words bothered Wolf. They had an eerie air, not mentioning the fact that when she turned to say something, he was gone.   
  
Wolf turned back to the woman before her. "Hello?"   
  
Cho looked up. "You're Wolf?" she seemed surprised. "I heard you were young, but I never suspected you were that young. How old are you? Ten? Eleven?"   
  
"Nine."   
  
"Amazing, but we will have to discuss this later. Now, for your last test, all you have to do is keep the following poem secret."   
  
"That's it?" It was Wolf's turned to be surprised.   
  
"That's it. Now listen carefully:   
  
"Three powers will rise to fight   
  
Those whose hearts are dark as night,   
  
Chosen by eternity   
  
To fulfill a destiny,   
  
Rubies in the eye and shoulder   
  
Glowing a peculiar color   
  
Then the four with powers untold   
  
And others who, the world did mold   
  
All hidden in children young   
  
Who holds all three? Only one."   
  
"Weird."   
  
"Never tell it to anyone until all has been revealed. Remember that above all else. You must keep it secret, no matter what."   
  
Wolf was about to say something, but Cho was gone. _Weird. Both gone in the same way._   
  
The bookshelf at the back opened, revealing a door. _Must be for me. Don't like it, but where else could I go?_ Wolf readied her wand. _Here we go._ She stepped into the room.   
  
Everything went black.   
  
Everything was black. That was the way he wanted it. She couldn't see a thing in that room. No one could, not even if your eyes were used to it. Complete and total darkness. This would be the test to end all tests. This was where the final damage was done. No longer a child… All that would be left behind.   
  
It was a sad thing, really. _Nine years old, and already too much of an adult, but not enough. Sometime I wish I didn't have to do this. She's going to go mad, if I don't kill her first._ He shook off the thought as he carried her limp body to the chair.   
  
Magical bonds held her hands and feet, keeping her securely in the chair. He took her wand, placing it deep in his pocket. A flick of his own wand and a few muttered words had her drenched in ice water. 


End file.
